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August 15, 2006

New Zealand's new sentencing reforms

As detailed below, I have sporadically reported on major sentencing reform news from other parts of the world. Today, the news comes from New Zealand, where this article reports that "[t]ougher parole laws, firm sentencing guidelines for judges and more scope for community sentences and home detention feature among big changes to the criminal justice system announced today." As the article explains:

Overall, the suite of changes is designed to arrest the rising prison population and curb re-offending by giving judges dealing with less serious offenders more options for home detention and community-based punishment and prisons more money and tools to rehabilitate inmates.... At the moment the prison muster is predicted to grow from 7700 to nearly 9000 by 2011. It was 4500 a decade ago.

In addition, "a new Sentencing Council with public input and Parliamentary oversight will set firm guidelines to ensure judges hand down consistent sentences.... The new Sentencing Council, made up of a mix of judicial and non-judicial members, is expected to take two years to be set up and establish guidelines."